The government has announced a new tool to assess the needs of people with disability for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). 

Instead of a having to gather and submit medical reports, new applicants and existing participants being reassessed will have an interview with an National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) assessor.

The government says the new process will make support planning simpler, fairer and more accessible. 

But last week’s announcement has left important questions unanswered. Most notably, how will the outcome of these assessments determine the level of support someone gets? And what evidence will be used in place of doctors’ reports?